Investigation of the physicochemical basis of enantiomeric enrichment: The example of alpha-phenylethylamine with achiral dicarboxylic acids.

We investigated the enantiomeric enrichment of enantiomeric mixtures of alpha-phenylethylamine by achiral dicarboxylic acids. As achiral agents oxalic, malonic, fumaric, and phthalic acids were used. The results of the enantiomeric enrichment via partial salt formation followed by distillation were compared with enantiomer separation via crystallization of the neutral salt. Without the presence of a solid phase, enantiomeric separation is impossible. Our results show that the properties of the solid phase determine the separation. It is also confirmed by our observation that the eutectic points, which are observed on the 3-phase solubility diagrams of the solid neutral salts, can be found at the same initial enantiomeric composition as the point of intersection of distillate and residue of the distillation curves and the point of intersection of precipitated salt and mother liquor of the crystallization curves. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.